Freedom of the press is considered to be one of the cornerstones of a functioning democracy. Without it, you wouldn't know what you were voting on, and the process of voting would be worthless.

Control over the media translates to control over the ideas and issues discussed at election time. The more that control is concentrated into fewer hands, the less of a real democracy the nation becomes.

For eg: Silvio Berlusconi is Italy's wealthiest person. He also controls more "freedom of the press" than any other person in Italy. Of course, he also happens to have been elected to the most powerful post in Italy multiple times. Not too surprising.

As the gap between the rich and poor widens, it shouldn't be surprising that many members of the wealthy classes would use their growing power to influence the media. The more influence they gather, the more they can consolidate their wealth, and further widen the gap.

As Abraham Lincoln wrote in 1864: "I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and cause me to tremble for the safety of my country; corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in High Places will follow, and the Money Power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the People, until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands,and the Republic destroyed."

The MSM (Mainstream Media) has the money and does a job the alternative press will never have the resources to do. Should one of the alternatives ever have the resources, he will no longer be an "alternative" he will have become "mainstream."

Imagine the expense of maintaining bureaus and staffs in every Capitol and major city in the world, with the hidden research and writing staffs which are required to staff them.

That is why press ownership is a game for extremely large publishing houses and very rich playboys, large and wealthy families or someone with the support of a Jewish/American economic system.

Can you imagine an alternative player (most of who have to beg for money to keep up a blog every month) maintaining just one simple bureau such as the Washington Post does (working in its hometown) just to keep open the Washington Bureau and its staff just to cover the White House? Multiply that by the number of capitols and major cities in the world!

The biggest of the big alternatives cannot afford to charter just one airplane, throw a crew and cameras in it, and fly off half way around the world to do a story for the Seven O'clock News tonight and have it ready by 6:57 pm! Hell, they could not afford ten minutes of satellite time to upload an interview from some isolated desert in the middle of nowhere, let alone get a camera crew in there in less than a week.

Think of the coverage which BBC and CNN alone present every night, How much does one think CNN's Christiane Amanpour's travel expense account alone comes to each year? More than the entire budget of many of the big alternatives, I am sure.

It is the MSM which does the digging and the groundwork which uncovers the core of the news. What happens to it after it has been dug out, and during refinement may be another matter entirely, but they are the anthroplologists who do most of the heavy digging and lifting.

Let us remember that Christiane Amanpour, ridiculously named by ABC as a foremost “expert” on Islam, is the wife of none other than former Clintonista and arch Israel-first Zionist, James Rubin.

I suppose sleeping with a Zionist propagandist is considered unparalleled education in the ways of Islam, and Iran’s nuclear armament and disarmament, these days, at least to those in the controlled US media seeking every opportunity and excuse to smear it.

A shill by any other name still smells (and sounds) as repugnant.

Christiane Amanpour is without doubt a creation of the finest brainwashing Zionist money can buy and a complete traitor to her own less “privileged” former countrymen/women.

Honesty, ethics, compassion, loyalty, love, feeling for others, all seem to be virtues with which people are either born with or without, and they do not seem to be some things which may be cultivated, learned or taught!

In his latest video Anthony Lawson looks at a CNN documentary (April, 2012 with repeats) about the Iran nuclear issue, and examines the role of the mainstream media in keeping the public uninformed about the real problem-nation in the Middle East: Nuclear-armed, Apartheid Israel.

Anthony Lawson (known professionally as Tony Lawson) is a retired international-prize-winning commercials director, cameraman, ad agency creative director and voice over. He used to be known for shooting humorous commercials, but doesn’t find much to laugh about, with the way the world is going, these days. VIEW ANTHONY LAWSON VIDEOS!